Our Kids Play Goalie Episodes

Lessons from Andrew Raycroft on helping young goalies build belief, self-assessment skills, hockey IQ, and resilience.

NHL veteran Andrew Raycroft explains why skating, perseverance, resilience, hockey IQ, confidence, and healthy parenting matter in goalie development.

🥅 What separates great hockey players and goalies from everyone else? According to former NHL goalie coach and current NCAA Division I goalie coach Steve Briere, it starts long before the puck drops—with preparation, confidence, repetition, and the ability to move on from mistakes. In this episode of The Ride to The Rink, Steve joins Lee Elias and Mike Bonelli to share lessons young hockey players can use right now, whether they play between the pipes or anywhere else on the ice. Steve explain...

🥅 What does an NHL goalie coach see that youth goalies, parents, and coaches often miss? According to longtime NHL goalie coach Steve Briere, the answer isn’t just better technique, more private lessons, or perfect positioning. It starts with focus. Athleticism. Joy. Compete. Ownership. And a genuine desire to stop the puck. In this episode of Our Kids Play Goalie, Lee Elias and Mike Bonelli sit down with Briere, whose coaching career includes seven seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs, three...

🥅 Your goalie isn’t playing alone—and keeping the puck out of the net is everyone’s responsibility. In this episode of The Ride to the Rink, Lee Elias and Mike Bonelli speak directly to young hockey players about something every great teammate needs to understand: your goaltender is one of six players on the ice, not a separate part of the team. After hearing hundreds of comments from hockey parents about what they wish others understood about goalies, Lee and Mike bring those lessons straigh...

🥅 What do goalie parents wish every skater parent understood? Apparently… a lot. When we asked that question on social media, we expected a handful of responses. Instead, more than 210 goalie parents jumped into the conversation—and their answers opened the door to a discussion every hockey family should hear. In this episode of Our Kids Play Goalie, Lee Elias and Mike Bonelli dig into those responses and unpack the things skaters, parents, and coaches may never fully appreciate unless they’v...

🥅 What separates a talented goalie from one who consistently performs under pressure? According to renowned mental performance coach Pete Fry, the answer often begins with the picture that goaltender holds in their mind. Pete Fry—known throughout hockey as “The Goalie Mindset Guy”—joins Lee Elias and Christie Casciano Burns for a powerful conversation about confidence, visualization, resilience, preparation, and the mental demands of playing one of the most challenging positions in sports. A ...

🏒 What happens when hockey creators, roller hockey, youth hockey values, and a great cause all collide in Nashville? You get Team GG at the Wish Cup — and a conversation every hockey family should hear. In this special edition of Our Kids Play Hockey, Lee connects with Team GG live from the Wish Cup in Nashville, Tennessee, featuring hockey creators Kaxzi, Danny / DB16 Media, Hintzy, Keegan Olivera, and Zachary Hockey. Together, they dive into what makes tournament weekends unforgettable, why...

🏒 Our Kids Play Hockey is growing — and this micro edition is all about YOU. In this quick community update, Lee shares some exciting new ways hockey families, players, coaches, and listeners around the world can experience, connect with, and support the show. From video episodes now available on Apple Podcasts to a new and improved way to send fan mail, voicemails, hockey questions, team shout-outs, and future episode ideas, this update is all about making Our Kids Play Hockey even more inte...

🥅 What does it take to go from being cut… to standing on top of the Olympic podium? In this special crossover episode of Our Girls Play Hockey and Our Kids Play Goalie, we sit down with Olympic gold medalist and one of the most dominant goaltenders in the world, Aerin Frankel. From growing up playing boys hockey in New York… to leaving home for Shattuck-St. Mary’s… to being cut from the 2022 Olympic team… and ultimately becoming the backbone of Team USA’s gold medal run in 2026 — Aerin’s jo...

🔥 What were YOU doing at 14 years old? Because Estela Vazquez was winning GOLD on the international stage. In this inspiring episode of Our Kids Play Goalie, we sit down with Estela Vazquez — a rising star goaltender for the Connecticut Junior Rangers, Greenwich Country Day School, and the Puerto Rico Women’s National Team 🇵🇷. At just 13 years old, Estela stepped onto the international stage in Buenos Aires and walked away as Goaltender of the Tournament, helping Puerto Rico capture gold. But ...

🔥 From backyard rinks in California to shutting the door at Cornell, Ian Shane’s journey is anything but ordinary. On this week’s episode of Our Kids Play Goalie, Lee, Christie, and Mike sit down with the ECAC Goaltender of the Year and Cornell standout to talk about his path, his mindset, and what it really takes to thrive in the crease. ✅ Growing up outside of a traditional hockey market ✅ Seizing opportunity after starting as a third-string freshman ✅ Developing mental toughness and present-...

🎙️ What's the secret to becoming a world-class hockey goalie? 🏒 As part of our celebration for 400 episodes of Our Kids Play Hockey, host Lee MJ Elias brings you a power-packed celebration of goaltending excellence! We've gathered wisdom from Olympic champions, NHL stars, and elite coaches to give you the ultimate guide to mastering the crease. 🔥 Highlights Include: Mental toughness training with NHL veteran Steve Valiquette 🧠Olympic gold medalist Sami Jo Small's journey from street hockey to...

In this week's episode of Our Kids Play Goalie, Lee Elias, Christy Casciano-Burns, and Mike Bonelli welcome a true icon in women’s hockey—Sami Jo Small, three-time Olympian, two-time gold medalist, and a lifelong advocate for inclusion, purpose, and team unity. From being the only girl on the street in Winnipeg playing road hockey with her brother’s friends, to starting in net for Team Canada, Sami’s path wasn’t just unconventional—it was groundbreaking. We explore: Her early days as “the gir...

How has the world of hockey transformed with the rise of analytics? In this episode of Our Kids Play Goalie Steve Valiquette explores the impact of statistical analysis on hockey, revealing a 40% increase in east-west scoring chances over the past five years. Discover the significance of the Royal Road, an imaginary line from the net to the top of the circles, and its role in scoring and goaltending. Steve shares his unique approach to goalie development, emphasizing fundamentals, skating, an...

In this week's episode of “Our Kids Play Goalie,” Lee Elias and Mike Bonelli sit down with Brian Daccord, goaltending coach for Boston University. Brian’s illustrious career includes coaching stints with the Boston Bruins, Arizona Coyotes, and Toronto Maple Leafs, as well as winning a German championship in 2015. He is also the founder of Stop It Goaltending and the Director of Goaltending Development at Sense Arena. Brian shares his wealth of knowledge and personal experiences, including insigh...

On this week's episode of "Our Kids Play Hockey" Lee Elias, Christie Casciano Burns, and Mike Bonelli welcome back Matt Tendler and Mitch Harris for a special "Our Kids Play Goalie." We focus on the goalies' perspective during try out season and the Goalie Doctors provide expert advice and insights to how to stay cool, calm, and collected in the crease. What's Inside This Episode: An in-depth discussion on the unique stresses goalies face during tryouts and evaluations. Insightful advice for g...

What if you could peek behind the mask of a professional hockey goalie and dive into the mental challenges and toughness required to play the sport and position? Justin Goldman’s experiences range from playing as an e-bug for the Colorado Avalanche to creating an inspiring online community for goalies - the Goalie Guild. Serving more than just a peek into his fascinating journey, Justin shares his wisdom and knowledge through establishing the Goalie Guild's unique digital platform. We uncover h...

On this episode of Our Kids Play Goalie, Brian Santora, USA Hockey Goaltending Coach Instructor joins us to share his journey and the importance of specialized coaching. We discuss the tools for understanding the position that coaches, parents, and players can implement at all levels. We turn our spotlight on the world of youth hockey, emphasizing the importance of effective goal-tending training in each practice. With the advent of the internet, goal-tending information is accessible, but how ...

Expert Goalie Coaches Matt Tendler and Mitch Harris have built something that goes way beyond the crease for goaltenders in the South-East Pennsylvania area. We discuss mental fitness training, emulating other goaltenders, the need for fundamentals, and even goalie parent education on this episode. It is a longer episode, but be sure to leave us some feedback or questions for the next time we’re able to welcome Matt and Mitch to the show! You can find more about what they do by visiting www.g...

This is one you will want to listen to with your kids. Carter Hart, starting goaltender for the Philadelphia Flyers and World Junior Championship Gold Medalist joined us for a chat filled with valuable insight for youth hockey skaters and goalies alike. We spoke about how professionals must stay present to be at their best, how sharing a team first mentality with great communication creates results, and how NHL players don’t like the word "rebuild.” Text The Our Kids Play Hockey Team! We're p...

Listen to this episode if you want to unlock some incredible insight into what goes on between the pipes. 🥅 Paul Cohen joins us this week to discuss the physical and mental edge that goaltenders need in order to compete in the crease. He gives valuable insight to the position as we discuss how coaches can incorporate goalies more in practice, and thoughts on our favorite debate - should the goal size be adaptive depending on age? Paul is a former AHL (Champion), ECHL & Div. 1 NCAA goaltender w...

NHL veteran goaltender Clint Malarchuk’s life and story are a testament to the importance of mental health in the sport of hockey and beyond. He is a suicide survivor, someone who has experienced trauma from childhood on, and now dedicates his life to impacting others through speaking regularly on the subject of mental health and by serving as a figurehead at The Ranch Teammates For Life organization. We are beyond honored to have had Clint for an interview on Our Kids Play Goalie. Our team t...

FIT CHECK! Are you certain your goalie’s gear fits properly? How about their training, does that fit them well too? On this month’s edition of Our Kids Play Goalie, we brought in goalie gear and coaching expert Brad Johnson to discuss how to find the right fit for your tendy! Brad is a Level 5 Coach with USA Hockey, the associate Coach in Chief for goaltending in the Michigan Amateur Hockey Association, a Mentor Coach Developer, and is the US Sales Manager in retail, pro, and college with Bri...